The Darkest Generation
by Honiesfb
Summary: Emma Stewart, the daughter of Ruby and Liam Stewart, is a 14-year-old girl who is an Orange. She struggles to control her abilities and chooses to sacrifice herself for her protectors: Ruby, Liam, Chubs, Vida, and Zu. More chapters coming soon! *Spoilers from The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, In the Afterlight, and the Darkest Legacy*
1. The Darkest Generation- Chapter 1

Prologue:

Two things happened on April 11.

Agent Ambrosia was deemed fully neutralized.

And I was born.

The researchers found that Agent Ambrosia had to be in the mother's system all throughout the pregnancy. So now, finally, _finally_ there would be an end to IAAN.

An end of being in the shadows.

An end to being hunted for the new generations to come.

However, I am still in the final group of the children who would be locked away in the world's history.

I am still dangerous.

I am still a monster.

Regardless if society thinks I am or not.

Chapter 1:

It started to rain, so we headed home.

My parents took me to see Black Betty for the first time. The scent of fake lemon still lingered within her dented, beat up doors, at least according to them. My mom showed me an old picture, apparently from a few years after they left Betty in the midst of the woods. I saw the pure joy in their faces. Pure friendship and love. I wish I had that. I identified each of their faces: Mom, Dad, Chubs, Zu. Their beaming faces stared at me, as if welcoming me into their cluster.

It was the day before I turned fourteen.

The day before I was gifted with my monster.

My doctor always kept a close watch on me to the point where it was creepy. I knew I wasn't going to die thanks to IAAN, but they wanted to predict what color I was going to be. They narrowed it to three options: Blue, Yellow, or—

Or Orange.

Mom always says that her abilities made life worse, that they took everything from her.

I didn't want that, and I went to bed every single day since I was eight, hoping I would wake up a Blue or a Yellow.

But life doesn't give you that choice.

—

I woke up to the usual feeling of wanting to murder my alarm clock before it did its usual annoying wakeup call, but it never went off. I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, the smell of burning wax and blueberry pancakes coming with it.

Great. I thought, _here we go for the annual embarrassment_. I pretended to sleep, hoping that would drive them off. My bedroom door cracked open and I heard someone sit on my bed. I felt soft hands wipe the stray hairs from my face. Mom. She swiped the hair behind my ear and slid down my arm to finally put a comforting hand on my wrist.

I felt a trickle at the back of my mind, and pain exploded behind my eyes. Mom must have felt it too, because all I saw before I was slammed out was Dad driving, singing "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys, the silver moonlight hiding his bruises and cuts. He looked—

I returned to reality and slipped into darkness. Everything was black.

I knew something was wrong because all I could hear was Mom saying, "Shit, _shit, oh my god,_ Liam!"

I heard running footsteps.

Dad must have stayed in the hallway with the pancakes.

"Darlin'? Is everything okay?"

"She's… she's—"

Mom burst into tears that sounded like they were out of panic and sympathy.

I woke up alarmed and ran. I needed out. I half-jumped-half-fell down the stairs and opened the front door frantically. I didn't realize I was sobbing until I slammed the door behind me, knocking off the single crescent moon nailed there.

This place is no longer safe. Not when I'm going to be here.

"Emma! _Emma_, come back!"

I ran down the stone path, past the garden, down the street into the adjacent neighborhood. I wiped my eyes with my wrist and knocked on the door.

A dark tan figure with electric blue hair answered.

"Emma? Why are you here so damn early?"

I all but shoved Vida out of my way and stormed through the house, down the hall. When I finally reached the bathroom, I closed the door and pressed the lock. I looked into the mirror and saw my reflection, orange eyes staring back at me.

_No. This is just a dream. Mom and Dad promised you'd be okay…._

"Stop." I whispered, "_Stop_."

There was a small, but audible knock at the door.

"Emma?"

It wasn't Vida, it was Chubs.

This definitely isn't a dream.

"Please open the door."

"Grannie, you know that if she's anything like Ruby, you are going to have to try a lot harder to get the damn door open."

There was another knock, louder this time. Then silence.

The lock clicked open, then Vida opened the door and slid a bobby pin back into her hair. That was my punishment for coming to the house of a former Childrens' League member. Her brows were drawn together in confusion, and Chubs's expression looked identical.

Chubs broke the awkward silence. "Emma? What's going on? Did Lee do something? Do you need me to call Ruby?"

I was speaking before I could stop myself. "No, they are the last people that I want to see right now."

"Emma…."

Vida reached for my wrist. I jerked back. "Don't touch me. Not unless you want to forget about me and be driven insane about it."

"What? Oh, _oh_, Grannie, we have another person to perform brain voodoo."

"At least she didn't disguise herself as a Green and scared the daylights out of all of us." Chubs started down the hallway, bringing his phone up to his ear.

My voice was shaking from the power of my sobs. "I don't want to be an Orange. I don't want to live in fear. I'm going on the run."

"Em… there's no reason you need to go on the run. Leaving home isn't going to save you."

"No, but it'll save you. I don't want to do what Mom did to her parents—"

"Emma, Jesus, what are you… you… Ruby can help you." Vida began, "She can teach you, there's no need to be like this."

Chubs returned into the room and crouched down to where I was, passing me his phone. It was Dad, he sounded concerned, his accent was deeper.

"Darlin', why did you leave? Mom told me, but I don't want you to ever think we would leave you because you're an Orange…."

"I thought I had wiped myself from Mom's memory and I didn't want to see the ending."

"Emma, Mom's on her way to get you right now."

"I can't come back."

"Emma, the last time I didn't return to Mom, she went back to Thurmond and sacrificed her life for the kids inside. She almost died. I've lost enough people, I don't need to add my daughter to the mix."

At that, I hung up and gave the phone back to Chubs. I needed some air. I opened the front door and stepped into the porch. A black car was already there, along with a worried looking Mom. She stared at me in awe.

"Emma, come here."

I ran into her open arms and dug my face into her shoulder, thinking I would disappear. My own tears rolled onto her light green blouse, and I felt ashamed.

_I'm fourteen now. I can't cry like this._

Mom lifted me into the car and buckled my seatbelt. She started to cry, but her voice was steady.

"Emma, never do that again. You scared the hell out of all of us. You can't run from your monster. I'm speaking from experience, never think you are anything less than who you've always wanted to be. You are not alone. Remember, I promised you that I would give you the life that was taken away from me. I'm so sorry that I shut my mind off to you. I know your head must hurt somethin' fierce. I know you don't understand these crazy abilities, but I will teach you how to control them. I never want you to think that you should close yourself off to other people because of what you can do. You are the most strong, smart, confident, ambitious, and practical person I know. Don't let this stop you."

That only made me cry harder. I leaned my head against the window just as we pulled into the driveway. As soon as the door unlocked, I opened it and ran up to my room and got into bed. I couldn't stop the waterfall of tears, but I could stop interactions with others.

Dad must have called Zu looking for me, because she walked in, followed by Vida and Mom. They sat down at the foot of my bed and Zu started to speak.

"Emma, I know what it's like to feel isolated and forgotten." She stayed close, but kept her distance. Distance was good. "If you ever need me, just give me a call."

She got up and walked away.

"Don't make me skin your ass." Vida said with a light giggle, "Don't get yourself stabbed either."

Mom gasped and giggled lightly, and Vida followed Zu down the stairs.

I opened my eyes, dried my tears, and walked over to my vanity. I brushed my brown hair back into a braid and looked at the appearance of confidence in my hazel eyes. I turned around and looked at Mom. "So, when's the first lesson?"


	2. The Darkest Generation: Chapter 2

My parents wanted to name me Gem, or Claire, or Cole if I was a boy, but they decided on the simple name of Emma. It means whole, universal, or complete. Dad says that's what I made their lives when I was born: complete. They said they didn't want to replace lost loved ones with me, and they wanted me to be my own individual. That's why they named me Emma Stewart.

I never inherited much of the Stewart charm, including the accent. The only things I got from Dad were my height, my skin tone and my lip shape. My unique trait was my eyes. A mix of blue, brown, and green. My hazel eyes. Other than that, I was a spitting image of Ruby Elizabeth Daly, abilities now included. We were closer to Mom's family too. I had met Great Grams a few times while on vacation in Virginia Beach, and Grandma and Grandpa seemed to love me with all their hearts. I miss them sometimes, but that just makes the few encounters that more exciting. My parents and I moved quite often until we landed in a suburban home in Texas. It's a humble place, beautiful. I have a giant room complete with a queen size bed and a sloth calendar.

I was always really happy with my parents, our relationship was strong. Everything was great until Mom told us that we had to go on the run since people would try to hunt me since I am now an Orange who can't control their abilities. Who hasn't chosen between good and bad. It's for the best I guess. It was about time for a change of scenery.

There isn't really much to lose, Chubs, Vida, and Zu are coming with us.

I just want to be safe.

Safe from the people who want to kill me or use me.

Safe from hurting the ones I love.

Safe from myself.


	3. The Darkest Generation- Chapter 3

Mom and I sat in the back seat of the car, Dad driving and singing off-key to some music.

It was time for my first lesson.

"There isn't really an introduction to this kind of thing," Mom began, "but just know that if something happens, you could be able to see how my life was before you were born. I made many mistakes, and you will see a lot of violence and suffering. None of it is in vain."

I took that with a grain of salt. I just wanted to just be able to control this damn monster before it controlled me.

"I just… I want to… be safe and sure of myself," I said.

"You will. In about a year's time."

"A year?"

"Just about. Why?"

"I just thought… where are we moving to anyway?"

"Oh, just an old place we lived in about 20 years ago," Dad piped up from the front seat.

"Oh yeah," I said, intrigued, "Where is this old place?"

"In Dead Man's Town in the middle of Butt-Freaking Nowhere."

_Great_. Isolation and a most likely disguised underground arsenal where it all went down back in the good ol' days.

I was indeed right. The lesson never happened, but we were in a place what Mom and Dad called the Ranch. A darn ironic name too. The place looked beat up, like a hurricane had just finished a day's work. We headed around the back to where what looked like a garage door was closed. Dad lifted it up with the flick of his hand, and we went inside and stared down at a white crescent moon painted on the concrete.

_This stupid moon is just going to be everywhere isn't it?_

Dad almost dropped everything in his excitement. "Oh my god! Lovely Rita, just where I left her."

That only confirmed my conclusion that this place was nothing like an actual ranch.

The hybrid motorcycle was still in good condition. There was also a tan SUV in the garage, but there probably wasn't any gas in it.

"The perfect place to start Haven back up," Mom said hopefully.

"Haven?" I asked.

"It was a community your Dad and I started back up about 2 years after we were freed. Then it burned while your Dad and I were… never mind."

"Oh. Cool."

With that I went down the tunnel at the end of the garage and tried to open it. Locked. However, the door was unlocked, and a hot-headed looking Vida opened it. She said her hellos, but kept her distance.

She knew what I was.

I walked into our new home and stormed to find a bedroom. The doors were already labeled with who stayed in what bedroom, finding a sign with my name on it across the hall from the door with Mom and Dad's names.

It was cozy. A full size bed already fitted with white sheets and fluffy pillows. I could work with this. I set my stuff on the bed and went to explore. A kitchen with a working stove and oven, restrooms and showers, and a gym was all I had the curiosity to find. I went into the gym and took a brief look at everything. A treadmill, a mat, and two stray pairs of sparring gloves sitting in the corner. I hopped onto the treadmill and turned it on, surprised it still even worked. I ran and ran, and ran some more until all of my thoughts were chased out of my head.

"Having fun?"

I whirled around to see Mom leaning on the door frame.

"It's time for dinner. There's also someone here I'd like you to meet."

"Oh, okay."

I turned off the treadmill and headed towards Mom. She led me through the hallways and into the kitchen, where it was just the six of us, plus one other person.

A woman with pale blonde hair stood up and reached out a hand for me to shake. Mom put a hand on her wrist and lowered her hand back down to her side. She got the hint.

"I'm Cate. I was the one who got Ruby… your Mom out of Thurmond. It's great to meet you."

"Same to you." I really didn't feel like talking right now, so I gobbled up some spaghetti and headed back to my room.

I pinned my sloth calendar to the wall and set my phone and hairbrush on the nightstand. I grabbed some pajamas headed to the showers.

I let the cold water beat my back as I looked around. They weren't the best quality of showers, but they felt relieving all the same. I got out and dried off, brushing my hair behind my shoulders.

I put on the white t-shirt and blue flannel pants and headed back to the bedroom, accidentally bumping into Zu on the way out. She looked at me, concerned, but I knew my expression didn't match hers. I was good at hiding things. I ran back to my room and crashed onto the bed, knocking off the backpack I had laid there earlier. I pulled the blankets over me and buried my face into the pillows, hoping I would wake up from this hell of a nightmare.

This isn't a nightmare. I won't wake up.

Because dreamers always wake up and leave their monsters behind.

—

I heard something, a conversation. Between Dad and Chubs.

"— saying it's too dangerous." Chubs. "We should consider getting rid of her."

_They want to send me away. They didn't want some reckless teenager going into their minds anymore. They already had one person who did that._

"I don't want to talk about this right now." Dad sounded agitated.

"When are we going to talk about it then?" Chubs said. "Never? We're just going to pretend like it never happened?"

"Zu will be back soon—"

"Good!" Chubs shouted. "Good! This is her decision too— this is all of our decision, not just yours!"

"What the hell are we going to do, just _dump_ her here?"

The memory changed. It was Mom, in Dad's mind, erasing herself? No. There's no way.

It changed again. This time to a note that wrote: _Ruby can take your memories…._

I woke up and sat up abruptly. Mom pulled her hand away. She was sitting on a stool, tears strewn across her face. I sobbed.

She cried, "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I was just imagining how you felt and just—"

"Mom, we have to leave. Just you and me, right now. They would—"

I must have been saying the memory out loud, or Mom was because Chubs suddenly yelled from the hallway.

"We were talking about Black Betty, not your orange ass."

Mom cried and giggled at that. She got up and pressed a kiss on my forehead. I saw the memory again, Mom in Dad's mind. It ripped away quickly, I rolled over onto my side, Mom walked out.

I felt a hand playing with my hair. I turned around to see it was Zu. She cupped the back of my neck, and I was in her mind.

"Stop reading my mind will you? There's only room for one telepath in this house."

Dad. How could he—

The dark stillness of my new room came back into vision.

"I'm going to tell you something I told, well more like wrote in my pink notebook and showed to her, your mother a long time ago." She whispered, sitting at the foot of my bed. "It's not a burden if people are willing to carry it."

Zu stayed at the edge of my bed, but I still went to sleep anyway, feeling less alone than I had felt since my fourteenth birthday.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been looking at the next few chapters I've written and I'm starting to see a little bit of a plot hole. I'll probably get going and try to fix it, but anyway, chapter 4! I think it's a good one.

That feeling didn't last for very long. It had only taken me a single night to realize something: Mom, Dad, Chubs, Zu, Vida, and Cate wanted to remember the past, when their relationship was strongest. The past where I didn't even exist. There's only room for one telepath in this house.

I felt less like a part of this. I am the reason we're here. I am the reason why we have to hide. There is only room for one telepath in this house, and I was not going to be the telepath that stayed.

I changed clothes and packed up my things. It was too early for anyone to be up.

I was wrong with that last fact.

Mom was in the gym on the treadmill, running. The way I had the previous evening. She didn't see me, so I went into an old office in a hallway and grabbed a sheet of paper. I wrote my note and taped it to the steel door at the end of the tunnel that led into the garage.

_There is only room for one telepath in this house._

I opened the door, aware that I would leave it unlocked, but at least they would be better. They could do whatever they wanted without having to fear that I could see or hear them from around the corner. I went into the garage and got on Lovely Rita. Dad would be furious, but I didn't really care. I flipped up the kickstand, making sure to give the crescent moon the finger as I drove away into the early morning.

I didn't regret my decision, at least not entirely.

Sure, I was giving up my parents, food, shelter, but I had increased their safety.

I rode and rode along the country roads, making sure my new orange identification button was well hidden under my jacket. I finally found an abandoned house with a crescent moon painted on the door.

_Seriously though. How many times am I going to see this stupid thing?_

A safe place, with no one in it. I'm glad my parents taught me the road code around here. I parked Lovely Rita in the driveway and rammed the door open with my shoulder. It was empty, well furnished, working water and electricity, it was just a little dusty. Not bad. Well done Emma.

I set my backpack down and locked the door behind me. I found a few things around the house. A few handguns, ammunition, a few cans of fruit. I could get supplies tomorrow. I went up the stairs, which were a little creaky, not enough to the point where it was concerning, but it was still frightening on the first couple of steps. Upstairs were two bedrooms, a linen closet, a loft with bookshelves, and a bathroom. There were a few towels and sheets in the closet, but other than that it was stripped down. A clue that no one lived here at the present moment. I went downstairs to grab my backpack, and then I brought it up to one of the bedrooms and pinned my sloth calendar to the wall, along with the picture Mom gave me of her, Dad, Chubs, and Zu in front of Black Betty. By then it was nighttime, so I headed downstairs and opened one of the cans of fruit and started to eat it. I just realized there was a refrigerator, but it didn't work. I'd fix that eventually. I grabbed one of the guns and a few bullets on my way out of the kitchen, just in case. I went upstairs and plopped on the bed, completely worn out. I stared up at the ceiling and listened to the rain hit the roof and then turned to the window to see the droplets race down the glass.

I had never been alone for this long before. Even though I was the only physical person within a ten mile radius, I still had my monster. I would truly never be alone again.

I don't know when I dozed off, but I woke up at the asscrack of dawn. I did my usual morning preparations in peace, for once, and I started to miss Mom right as I started to pull my hair back into her signature braid. I shrugged off the feeling of homesickness because I was home. This place is my home. Truly, when living alone, nobody has time for this kind of shit, especially when you are only fourteen.

I headed downstairs to head out for a supply run. I wasn't hungry, so I just grabbed my jacket and my backpack on the way out. I got on Lovely Rita, the seat was a little wet from the rain, but again so was I. The engine started up nicely and I flicked up the kickstand with my heel; I once again rode off into the early morning.

This area was never reconstructed. The stores had probably only been restocked once, so it appeared that no one was in the gas station I managed to find earlier. However, this one wasn't empty.

"Get that bag of chips. Oh! That box of candy too, and the Gatorade."

The voice was familiar, but I couldn't identify it nonetheless. I hid behind a shelf in the corner, just for extra precaution. The corner, where I belong.

"Where the hell is she?" The same voice, a woman's.

"Just give her a couple days, we'll find her." Another familiar voice. This time a man's.

It wasn't Mom or Dad's, I would have recognized them right away. They left, the door whining as it returned to its frame.

They had cleaned out the joint, but forgot to check the back where there were a few bags of chips, a can of pineapple, and a case of water. I grabbed the chips and pineapple, stuffing them into my bag. I returned to the stockpile for a few bottles of water. I closed my backpack and started to head out, noting I could return if I needed supplies.

Just as I was beginning to leave, there was a click. The click of the safety switching off on a handgun. It was leveled at my heart before I even had a chance to get mine from my bag.

"What a sweet little girl. Such a shame for you to be alone at this time of day." He looked at my jacked and moved the fabric out of the way. "An_ Orange._ You look just like your mother you know."

I scoffed. He clicked his tongue and reached down to grab the bag at his feet, but the gun was still pointed in my direction. Inside was a bit of rope, a rag, metal handcuffs, and a plastic white muzzle all chained together.

_He's going to take me._

I let him put the handcuffs on my wrist, but I struggled with all of my might to keep that muzzle from going on my face.

_He's taking me._

He grunted with annoyance and pulled out a small device from his bag. I knew what it was, but I didn't know its impact until he switched it on. White Noise. _Calm Control._ Don't let the name fool you, it's the exact opposite of what it sounds like it is.

The sound was excruciating. Black dots appeared at the corner of my vision, and I eventually collapsed onto the ground next to the gun he'd left on the floor.

I was helpless. _He's taking me._

He hauled me into the trunk and all I could see was black. I tasted bile in my mouth, it was burning my throat. My salty tears were the only thing to coax it back down, but it wasn't enough.

That man sped down the road for what seemed like hours, blasting ZZ goddamn Top the entire way. The one time I need my abilities, I swear.

We eventually turned into a gravel road and came to a stop. A black pillowcase was slipped over my head and the man took off the handcuffs. I was picked up and carried, or should I say thrown, into a cold metal chair. Velcro restraints were strapped around my wrists.

The pillowcase was taken off as well as the muzzle, by none other than former President Gray himself.

_Shit_.


	5. The Darkest Generation- Chapter 5

**Hello again! I'm very sorry I kind of abandoned this fanfiction, there really isn't an excuse, my bad. I like to stay a couple chapters ahead when I can, and I introduced some new characters, but had no clue what to do with them, so it's just been a mess. On top of that, the world is falling apart and I have just been trying to hang in there, home life for me isn't great. Anyway, there's been a lot of reading, I have also created another self-insert for the Divergent series, because I was NOT okay with the ending. It's called ****Divergent: The Outlier****, so if you want to check that out, I wouldn't mind. I recently found out that some of you guys are reading from all over the world, which is really freaking awesome, y'all are amazing. Thank you so much for reading and** reviewing;**I hope you enjoy this well overdue chapter. :)**

-Honiesfb

There isn't really even that much to say to the man who single handedly destroyed this country and all the lives within forever, right?

He spoke. "Your name, young lady?"

What was he going to do? I didn't have a file since I had only had these abilities for two weeks, and said two weeks were spent underground in the middle of nowhere. "Emma Stewart."

"Ah, an Orange I presume?" He looked at me eerily and bent down so his face was close to mine. "After all, your parents, Ruby and Liam, are quite the phenomenon if I do say so myself. You look just like them you know."

I spat in his face. "An asshole I presume?"

"You little— Just like your mother, at least that's what Clancy told me before..."

"Before he got his brains fried?" I said sweetly.

"Transport her to you know where. Consider it the beginning of a new family tradition."

A haughty look spread across his face as the muzzle was one again strapped to my face.

I felt a pinch at the back of my neck, and I was out.

—

I woke up still in the muzzle, my hands and feet were zip tied, most likely for a few days because I couldn't feel them. I was in a school bus with probably twenty other kids, give or take, all strapped up like I was, minus the adaption for the real monster here. I had no clue where we were, but it sure as hell wasn't anywhere near where I was picked up from. I turned to the window, which had been smeared with black paint. _They were taking us to a camp. These buses were used to take kids to the camps._ How did Gray do this under the close government surveillance? How is one camp still functioning; they were all destroyed years ago.

When we eventually arrived at the hellhole, I was about ready to suffocate in my own filth. I hadn't showered in probably about a week since I had been out for so long, nor had I eaten. However, that wasn't my main priority. My main priority was figuring out how I was going to dodge this sorting system so I wouldn't get myself killed.

I would disguise myself as a Yellow. Wherever we were going, they probably had the entire goddamn rainbow missing Orange, since all of the Oranges were killed on site back when the camps were a legal thing.

Why not a Green you ask? The connections would make more sense. If I was affected by White Noise, I was only a tier below, and I would have gloves so I couldn't accidentally slip into anyone's mind. Gray and the people who picked me up would be with the Reds, which I wasn't one of those, so no one really knew what I was. Gray probably isn't focusing on the camp I'm going to, since he probably has more important things to do, like taking over the country again.

I made sure my orange button wasn't anywhere to be seen. There was a hole where it was pinned for evidence.

The bus came to a screeching stop and an armed guard in black stepped in.

Yep, my fate has been sealed.

He only said a few, supposed to be intimidating things before we got off the bus, like: do not try to run or hide, blah blah, blah. Mom had told me how life was in the camp, so I was expecting what she had told me.

It is _way_ worse than what she had told me.

There are only about a hundred kids, and each had an armed guard that stayed with them at all times, regardless if they were Green or Red. The only time they left were for emergencies, so I learned In the three weeks I have been here.

Three weeks of darkness.

Three weeks of being in the shadows.

Three weeks of hell.

My stiff but thin yellow paper uniform was starting to irritate the new gashes on my legs from my good old bodyguard I like to call Skunky McShitface. He smells really bad, you know like a skunk.

I now do regret my decision to leave, If I hadn't, I wouldn't be in this nightmare factory. Waking up early, going to garden duty where everyday the guards would plant new seeds just for the fun of watching us dig them out. Then we'd get a good few lashes with a whip for no apparent reason, and then we'd go to lunch, to our cabins, then we'd clean everything in the camp before we were fed, whipped, and sent off to bed. Everything was videoed from surveillance cameras on the ceilings. Everything was timed down to the second, and if anyone broke routine, we got a nice migraine from the White Noise.

However, this night was different. We got extra lashes for, you guessed it, no reason. I was bleeding through my uniform, but no one seemed to care. I swept a gloved hand through my hair as me and my cabinmates arrived at our sleeping quarters. The door was shut and locked after we had filed in, and I climbed up to my top bunk. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take me away from this nightmare. It didn't.

All of a sudden, there were loud bangs coming from outside, gunshots, yelling. I heard someone speak outside.

"Where is she? Where is Emma? Tell me right now!" _Mom._

Our door was busted into and a figure with a black ski mask came in, they pulled it off.

_Mom. It was Mom. How did she find me? Why did she come for me?_

"_Emma?"_

"Mom! Mom, I'm here. I'm right here!"

I was running. Straight toward her. I didn't care if I slipped into her mind or not. The other girls in my cabin had been running too, faster than I was. My legs were swept out from under me. My head hit the ground and my sight was covered with a flash of white. When it went away, all I could see was Mom. She held my face in between her hands and looked behind her toward the other girls who had run out. Mom gave me her gun and switched off the safety. She most likely has another one strapped to her somewhere, knowing her. She also must have been crying, because she wiped her cheeks with her hand before continuing.

"Stay here. We will all come get you in a second." She turned and guided everyone out.

Five minutes felt like five years.

Everyone filed in, Mom, Dad, Chubs, Zu, Vida. I switched the safety back on and laid flat on my back. I didn't have the strength to move.

Vida murmured. "Those fucking crazy-ass Grays."

Chubs snapped in front of Vida's face. "Oi! Do you see Emma right now? She is our priority. He went down towards my feet and placed a hand on my shin where blood had soaked through my uniform.

_A priority._ I have never been one of those before.

As Chubs started applying more pressure on my shin, I let out a scream.

"She'll need some antiseptic and a hell of a lot of bandages. What did they do to you?"

I shook my head as a tear freed itself from my eyelashes. The past needs to be left behind.

"Can she at least walk?" It was Vida.

Dad let out a sound of anger. "Gray has hurt every single one of us, and that furiated me. A lot. But then he hurts my daughter—"

"Liam, calm down. I know, let's just get out of here." That was the first time Zu had spoken since this started.

Someone, most likely Dad, scooped me up off the ground and started to carry me out. Then Mom interrupted.

"No, you guys go ahead. Let me get her. I need to tell her something… in private."

When she finally convinced them to leave, Dad laid me in a sitting position against the cabin, and Mom crouched by my side.

"Look, Emma listen. Your uncle... Cole told me this a long time ago. You have to walk out of here. No one is going to help you outside of your head. You have to walk out of here, on your own two feet."

"Mom," I choked out. "You leaving Thurmond and taking everyone with you is your memory. You sacrificed yourself for everyone. You almost died, while I came nowhere close to locking eyes with Death. I do not deserve to leave yet."

"Yes you do. You sacrificed yourself. For us."

Hearing that. Seeing Mom in front of me, made me believe that I was going to be okay. That I, a monster that no one would ever want, would see light once again.

Mom helped me up, bracing me on one side, so I could hobble out.

And when I walked out, I realized I would be returning to the people I needed to protect. As much as I wanted to have this, I couldn't. Because no one has ever wanted to take me out of the shadows until now. They wanted to hide me where I would be safe. I am not one that will live in a corner. That is where I have been kept my entire life.

I may be weak, arrogant, selfish, obnoxious, but I wanted to go with them. I want to show them what I can do, and what I'm capable of. And most of all, I wanted to make sure Gray's ass was slaughtered. But I am a burden. I am a mistake. I am a monster. They don't want to bring me into the light. And I love them, I really do, but when I'm with them, I don't have enough freedom to improve myself.

I hadn't realized I had stopped walking until Dad came and scooped me up and carried me to the car. He laid me in the backseat next to Chubs so he could start patching me up. I did not walk out of that camp. I may have left the worst days of my life, but I had not left my problems. It wasn't time for me to leave them. Not yet.


	6. The Darkest Generation- Chapter 6

**Hello! Long time no see, my bad. I originally didn't know how I was going to continue the story, but now I do, so here I am. I'm so happy you guys have been enjoying this story. Every review you guys leave makes me smile for at least an hour. Things for me have been rough, obviously with the pandemic and school, but also at home. And it let me realize that this story is therapeutic for me. I love to hide little things in Emma's thoughts from my own life, and in this chapter, Ruby's life. I consider this series to be the one that saved my life, and today marks a year of the series doing just that. So, I thought it would be fitting to start dedicating all of the chapters I write, for this story and DTO. ALSO, how could I forget. I will be moving this story to Wattpad literally right after I upload this, so if Wattpad works better for you, then you can find it there. Without further ado, enjoy! :)**

_For Ruby, who taught me that my trauma isn't a rotted chamber in my heart, but it is simply my shadow. Thank you. I wouldn't be here today if I had never found your story. Here's to one year of knowing that._

The only thing that pulled me out of my daze was the sting of disinfectant wipes on my shin. I winced. Having open and infected cuts for three weeks is no bueno.

"Shit, Emma. This is what happens when we give you a couple days."

I looked up at him and sat up, yanking my legs away from his reach.

"What? That was you?" I said exasperatedly.

It was Chubs and Vida in the gas station that morning. They had come for supplies and found me without knowing.

"_You were there?_" Vida yelled. "At the gas station?"

"That's where I was when they took me."

"Damn."

Who knows how long we were driving before we were back at the ranch. Mom and Dad looked at me from the front seat and headed back inside, Cate let them in and embraced Mom. I shot Cate a look of what might have been annoyance, may have been disgust, I don't particularly care, and headed to my room.

Dad is going to kill me

Lovely Rita is still at the house I stayed in.

Mom is going to kill me. I ran away from the people who are trying to help me.

And honestly, I wouldn't stop them from doing so.

I don't bother to check the time, or change my clothes, or eat.

I just try to sleep.

**Ruby: almost 15 years earlier**

Two lines.

Positive.

_Pregnant. _

Liam and I haven't exactly been _planning_ for a child, but neither of us were mad at the possibility.

Oh God.

Agent Ambrosia. Our kid, _my kid_, would have Psi abilities, if they survived.

_Shit._

The water. I shouldn't drink the water.

I look back down at the pregnancy test and clap a hand over my mouth. Look into the mirror. _I'm going to be a mother._

Vida's pregnant as well, it hasn't been terribly long, maybe two months or so.

"Vida-" I manage to squeeze out.

"Yes, boo?" she says, waltzing into the bathroom.

I almost throw the test at her and quickly retreat to the corner.

She stares at it for a few seconds, brows furrowed, and then her lips form a perfect 'O' of shock. She looks back up at me.

"Bitch- Ruby- I legitimately thought you two didn't 't-"

"Oh no, we do," I laugh.

"That- I want to say that's bullshit, but I don't know, boo."

I don't know if she's going to kill me or start jumping up and down with excitement. Somehow, probably both. I feel a tear stream down my cheek.

Turns out it was the latter, she's all over the place jumping and smiling from ear-to ear, hugging me.

"Oh my god, this family is about to get super chaotic, shit, there's going to be a mini Ruby or Liam running around," she squeals.

"Definitely."

"Well? Aren't you happy?"

"Yes, very," I say. "I'm just worried about the whole IAAN thing."

"Ruby," she pulls back from our embrace and looks at me, "I'm not one to get sappy, but the cure is always an option now. Kids aren't dying as often. There will probably be doctors watching your kid like a hawk, with you being an Orange and all."

"No, whether they get the cure or not will be their choice."

And that was that.

"Boy Scout's going to freak. How should we tell him?" Vida asks. "He's out with Chubs right now, oh my God he is going to freak the fuck out."

"I'm not doing one of those cliche reveal things, let's keep the emotions to a minimum."

Lee and Chubs are back

I heard the front door open and close, the boys' bickering floating through the halls.

After Haven burned down, the four of us live in a house near Zu and Cate now. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes, but hey, we make it work.

I look back down at my book and neatly place the pregnancy test on the corner of the desk that I'm sitting at, smiling to myself.

Our bedroom door opens and Liam walks into the room.

"Hey, darlin'," Liam says, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up by the door.

"Hey," I smile. "How was… whatever you guys were doing. Do I really want to know?"

"Absolutely not," Liam chuckles. Striding over to me, he sets a hand on my shoulder and kisses me on the cheek. He's about to step to the side and over to the bed when he catches sight of the pregnancy test. "One of Vida's?"

"Nope," I smile to myself. "One of mine."

He looks back at me, silver lining his eyes. "No- you're not. Really? Wait- Ruby!"

"Yes, I am," I manage to say through the tears in my eyes and the sob caught in my throat. I get up and walk over to him.

"Oh my goodness, _darlin'_, we're going to be parents." he pulls me into a hug and we stay there for a very long time, savoring each other's presence and crying together. As much as I hate the crying. We're having a kid. And our kid is something I will happily cry over.

"I love you, Liam."

"Love you too, Ruby Tuesday."

Ruby: present day

I smile, recalling the memory, then frown and bow my forehead on Liam's shoulder.

Vida lost that child, her baby boy, about four months into the pregnancy.

I still remember it all. The scream that ripped itself from Vida's throat in the doctor's office that morning. I had come with her since Chubs was out. All of our tears. The constant ultrasounds to check up on my baby (which was Emma, we didn't name her until she was born though) afterwards. I feel like Vida would never be the type to have children when we were younger, before the camps fell, but now, she still has that… steely domineer, but she has an amazing heart.

I had never seen her so broken.

Vida never let anyone see what she was going through, even Emma doesn't know today, but when I walked into her bedroom that night and Chubs was still out helping Zu with something-

I think that was the night we went from having a love/hate relationship to becoming true sisters.

She told me that when we were younger she never would have admitted it, but she told me that we were the only things keeping her alive in our dark world.

Jude was going to be his name. After the boy who was taken too soon. After the boy who faced Death and his greatest fears at the same time: the dark and being alone. Vida loved him, even though they argued all the time. I would even say she loved him more than I did. They were like siblings.

Jude really was someone who should have lived forever. The world has suffered greatly without him.

It still hurts, we've moved on, but... I grip the compass around my neck.

_He's still in our hearts. _I never got why people would say that dumb optimistic phrase, but it's true. It really is.

Vida was devastated, we all were. But Vida and Chubs have never tried for a kid since.

Vida lost Jude twice. I can't blame her for not wanting to lose him a third time.

Liam and I did want another kid, maybe even two more, but with the way things were, it would've been too much to handle. Especially with Vida, I remember seeing how she was when Emma was born. I had my baby, and she didn't.

"Liam, you are an _amazing_ father."

We're back in our bedroom, and Emma is, who knows where. She just needs time to cool off.

"I just don't know why she-" Liam sighs. "Why would she leave? We love her. I love her. Doesn't she know that?"

I run a hand over his back and rest my chin on his shoulder. "She left because I'm her mother. She left because she's grown up in a world where Oranges and Reds are shunned and have to go into hiding to survive. She's scared and she's a teenager. She can't control this new part of her, you know how it feels. She hasn't found herself yet."

"Ruby," he says, lolling his head back. "I'm just so scared, I don't know how to do anything. You've always been better with her. I'm always so damn scared. I don't know what to do with her."

"You love her, Lee. You know that. She'll come around. She always has."

"She gets that from you," he smiles, kissing my temple. "I love you, darlin'."

"I love you too."

—

Emma:

My bedroom is still the same, minus the fact that everything I took with me is still at the house I was staying in. I sigh and see that there's a change of clothes on my bed, so I gratefully change and just as I pull the shirt over my head, Vida comes barging through the door, causing me to jump back a few feet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" I ask, flabbergasted.

"Don't 'what' me. You nearly scared your mother— _all of us_ out of our wits. Sacrificing yourself like that. That's our job, mainly your father's, but still _ours _for God's sake!" Vida takes a deep breath and sighs. "What were you _thinking?_"

"Do I look like I know what I was thinking? Look, I know Mom has probably told you all there is to know about Orange abilities and the circumstances for having them haven't gotten any better, so I would appreciate it if you could _piss off."_

"You and your mother will not have the same experiences with your abilities. You have lived different lives and acting out of what you _think_ is selflessness isn't going to fix it. You want to save us right? Having an Orange already puts us in danger. Having _two _doesn't change anything. Skip tracers will still be hunting for you no matter where you are. Emma you are your _own goddamn person and you need to be her._ Yes, you two have your similarities. Holy shit you have your similarities. When you were younger, do you know how many times I looked at you and was convinced that Ruby had turned into a toddler? But it's your differences that separate you. You have hazel eyes for a reason. You're a combination of your father and your mother, but you have brown in your eyes too. You have something new. You have a gift, and I've seen it, but you won't figure it out until you use it." Vida steps down from her soapbox, sighs, and smiles. "Now. I am going to go keep your parents at bay, because knowing them, they're bound to come in any minute. Sleep. I saw your mother when she walked out all those years. Those camps are absolutely barbaric and I promise you will never find yourself in one again."


End file.
